Spinning disc toy with shiftable weight



Feb. 2, 1965 A. A. MAZZADRA SPINNING oxsc TOY WITH SHIFTABLE WEIGHT Filed April 11 1962 IN VEN TOR.

United States Patent 3,167,881 SPINNiNG nrsc TOY WiTH SHIFTABLE WEHGHT Alfred A. Mazzadra, 174 Harding Ava, Stratford, Conn.

. Filed Apr. 11, 19:52, Ser. No. 186,675

3 Claims. (CL 46-47) This invention relates to a manually operated spinning toy of the type wherein a disc is mounted tofreely rotate on a handle provided with a hand grip, and the disc includes an unbalancing weight which functions to rotate the disc in response toback and forth motionsimp-arted to the disc by means of the handle while the disc is supported in midair free of any-other apparatus.' A spinning toy of this general type is disclosed and claimed in my copending application Serial No. 812,470, new Patent 3,939,228. It is an object of this invention to provide an alternative type of spinning toy to that disclosed and claimed in my copending application, which may be considered to be an improvement thereover, notwithstanding the basic advantages and merits of the invention of my copending application, in that it produces superior action with less vibration. By superior action is meant that the disc rotates smoothly and rapidly and is sensitive in responding to the back and forth motions of the handle which cause it to rotate. i

Other objects and further details of that which I believe to be novel and my invention will be clear from the following description and claims taken with the accompanying drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a side elevational view of my improved spinning toy being held by the hand of a user in one position in which the improved toy may be operated;

FIG. 2 is a top plan view with portions broken away and shown in section for clarity, taken generally on line 2-2 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken on line 33 of FIG. 1 on an enlarged scale, and

FIG. 4 is a sectional view taken on line 4-4 of FIG. 3.

In my copending application, there are disclosed a number of embodiments of spinning toys which are of the general type to which this invention pertains. In that application, there are disclosed a plurality of handle variations for spinning toys as well as a plurality of variations of discs, namely, the single disc and the double disc types. Aside from these structural variations, all of the embodiments in my copending application include an unbalancing weight at one point at the periphery of the disc, which functions to cause rotation of the disc in response to movements of the handle, which Weight is mounted in a fixed position on the disc. Although all of the embodiments in my copending application produce unique and desirable spinning toys, further research has revealed that the spinning operation of the embodiments of my copending application can be, and it has been found in practice that they are, improved by providing a different form of unbalancing weight on the discs. Applicant will herein disclose one embodiment of the invention as being incorporated in a single disc spinning toy having a double rod handle; however, it should be fully understood that it may be incorporated in numerous other embodiments having different disc and handle formations, including all of the formations disclosed in my copending application.

In FIGS. 1-4 my invention is illustrated as incorporated in a single disc, double rod handle, spinning toy. The spinning toy generally comprises a disc and a handle 12. a

The disc 10 comprises a single flat circular plate member 14 having a central hub 16 extending axially to both sides thereof and including a central bore 18 forming a bearing surface, and a circular circumferentially extend- See ing tubular portion 20. As illustrated, the disc 16, including its components 1d, 16 and 29, is indicated as being a unitary structure. However, it should be realized that it may be unitary or assembled of a plurality of parts, as desired, the particular manufacturing technique employed and materials usednot being critical tothe into-each other, as by welding, and if heavy cardboardsis used, the components may be formed and glued and/or stapled together. 'It should be particularly noted that if metallic or cardboard components are employed, the tubular portion 20 may be conveniently formed of a tube that is formed into a circle, and has its abutting ends closed and bonded, and then it may be bonded to the periphery of plate-like member 14. 'When the tubular portion 21 is finally formed, it includes a continuouscircular passageway 22. I

Within the tubular portionZtl and mounted for free sliding, rolling and shifting movement in the passageway 22 is a mass 24 of small balls or pellets. This mass is outlined in FIG. 1 somewhat diagrammatically by the dotted line 24. Within the passageway 22, the mass 24 of pellets or balls is-capable of shifting throughout the passageway, depending upon the position and condition of rotation of the disc 10 at any given moment. The mass of pellets or balls may be inserted into passageway 22 in any convenient manner. If the tubular portion 20 comprises a tube that is formed into a circle, the mass can be disposed in the tube before it is formed into a circle and has its abutting ends joined. It the tubular portion is molded of a plastic, an access opening may be formed in the tubular portion, the mass inserted therethrough and the opening closed.

The handle 12 comprises a hand grip 26, which may be fashioned out of wood or a plastic material and is configured to be conveniently gripped by the hand H illustratedin FIG. 1, and an elonged connecting means, in the form of a pair of double rods 28 which are bent as illustrated to have a pair of adjacent ends 36 contiguous and rigidly physically secured to the hand grip 26 and their opposite ends 62 adjacent and bent into alignment to form an axle spindle for the disc 10 by being disposed in the bearing bore 18 of its hub 16.

The operation of the illustrated embodiment of this invention, as regards manual manipulations of the user to operate it, is generally the same as that of the embodiments of my copending application. For example, the entire improved spinning toy may be manually held in air as illustrated in FIG. 1 by the hand H of the user so that the disc is in a substantially vertical plane and the handle 12 extends substantially horizontally away from the hand of the user. Then by manipulating the hand in such a manner as to cause the disc to swing up and down or reciprocate in a vertical plane in the general direction indicated by the arrow A in FIG. 1 in certain timed relation, which may be empirically determined through practice, the unbalancing eltect of the mass 24, depending upon its condition and position at any given moment with relation to the axis of rotation of the disc, that is, the axis of the spindle formed by rod ends 32, will result in rotation of the disc on the spindle. The speed of rotation of the disc is related to the speed of vertical swinging of the disc; however, other factors enter into producing high-speed spinning of the disc in response to manual manipulating of the handle which require considerable skill, for the manual manipulation must be coordinated tation of the disc.

relative to'the-dynamic condition of the disc at any given Iv moment; that is, the relative condition and disposition of the mass 24 ofunbalancing Weights to the axisof. ro- In View of the fact thatthe mass 24 of unbalancing pellets or small balls is HOh'fiXCd on-the disc, this mass is capable of both efiectingrotation of the:

disc; and thereafter shiftingitself in the passageway 22 relative to the disc in response to, the rotation it hasv caused; therefore, the influence and effect of the mass 24 1 of shifting. 'un balancing weights is considerably more subtle'a'nd complex than thatof the fixed w'eights in the embodiments-of myicope'nding applicatiom, as it'varies duringoperation. The overall' result of theoperationaof weight rneans comprising the sole means jfor causing rota the shifitingunbalancingrhassof weights is that of pro-'- ducing high speed; smooth,:vibratiohless rotation of the disc.

operated inother ways, that is,;by disposing it in other relative dispositions than the one illustrated in'FIGVl Also, as in the case of the embodiments in my cope'nd-, 1 ing application, thesurfaceofthedisc'may be decorated anydesir'ed way to secure different visual effects. re,- suiting from rotation of the disc.

As will be evident frornthe foregoing description, certainaspects of my invention are not limited to the. partic- The illustrated embodirnent of my invention may be ular details of construction of the example illustrated, and

I contemplate that various and other modifications and applications will occur to those skilled in the art. It is} 1 thereforqmy intention that the appended claims shall cover such modifications and applications as donot depart from the true spirit and scope of my invention.

'What I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is: I

l. A spinning toy comprisingfla flat, solid disc a handle including a hand grip and a rodrneans extending fromtone' end thereof and having a spindlebearingat its tion of said discabout said spindle .bearingfin response to transverse back and fort h movement ofsa-id' disc in its niajorlplane in air whiletree of any support or operating means vother than said 'ha'ndle, said weight means alterihgitsshape and position relative to said'disc'sdu'ring such rotation and thereby influencing the speed and smoothness of disc rotation. i

2..Aspinning toy as defined in claim 1 wherein said weight means comprises a plurality ofballs.

3. A spinning toy as defined in claim lwherein said I passageway comp-rises an annular tube andsaid weight 20.

means cornprises a plurality of balls mounted insaid tube.

Referencesflited ibythe Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,008,715 11/61. Ba'chman 46-43 X' 3,039,222 -s/ez Mazzadra 4e 51- X 636,754 1 *2/62 Canada. 330,230 6/03' France.

lfiZLBERT BLOWE, Prz'r vza ryExaminer.

JAMES W. LOVE, Exa iaziner. I 

1. A SPINNING TOY COMPRISING: A FLAT, SOLID DISC; A HANDLE INCLUDING A HAND GRIP AND A ROD MEANS EXTENDING FROM ONE END THEREOF AND HAVING A SPINDLE BEARING AT ITS FREE END; SAID DISC PROVIDED WITH A CENTRAL BEARING ROTATABLY MOUNTED ON SAID SPINDLE BEARING TO FREELY ROTATABLY MOUNT SAID DISC THEREON; AN UNBALANCING PARTICULATE WEIGHT MEANS; WEIGHT CONFINING MEANS ENCIRCLING THE PERIPHERY OF SAID DISC AND DEFINING AN ANNULAR PASSAGEWAY OF CIRCULAR CROSS SECTION SPACED FROM THE CENTRAL BEARING, SAID WEIGHT MEANS BEING FREELY MOVABLE THEREIN; SAID WEIGHT MEANS COMPRISING THE SOLE MEANS FOR CAUSING ROTA- 